File Photo during the Zamboanga Peninsula Exposition 2024 highlighting the arts and crafts from different provinces in the region.
ZAMBOANGA CITY (PIA) – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in the Zamboanga Peninsula encourages fostering and nurturing Filipino cultural talent to strengthen local identity and boost the regional economy. This initiative aims to ensure that valuable skills are celebrated and promoted.
DTI Regional Director Al Zamir I. Lipae encouraged communities to harness these opportunities, emphasizing that the Zamboanga Peninsula is a thriving hub of diverse talents and creativity, which reflects the region’s rich cultural heritage and dynamic innovation.
From skilled artisans and craftspeople preserving traditional weaving and brass-making, to contemporary artists, musicians and entrepreneurs pushing creative boundaries, the region continues to be a melting pot of artistic expression and ingenuity.
“I know everyone is talented. Singing, dancing, that’s what other countries fear because Filipinos have so many talents. Let’s nurture this, and we are going to explore this,” Lipae said.
DTI encourages artists and cultural organizations to work together to find suitable grant opportunities and create projects that support the objectives of the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act.
The DTI Zamboanga City Office has already begun to gather stakeholders from various creative domains and government agencies to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats within the creative industry sectors of Zamboanga and Isabela de Basilan. Participants collaboratively developed strategies to address the challenges faced by each domain.
Moreover, DTI encourages local artists to explore the grants that are accessible under the framework of the creative industries. The cultural landscape of their specific cities can be strengthened by such funding by supporting activities and initiatives that highlight and develop local talent.
By taking advantage of these opportunities, local talent can receive the assistance they require to grow, ensuring the survival and international recognition of the Philippines’ rich cultural legacy.
On July 28, 2022, the Philippine government implemented Republic Act 11904, also known as the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act, in recognition of the enormous potential of the country’s creative sector. Music, dance, visual arts and indigenous cultural expressions are among the creative fields that this law seeks to foster and encourage. (EDT/MLE/BNT-GIP/PIA Region 9-Zamboanga City)
